59th Street – Columbus Circle (New York City Subway)

59th Street – Columbus Circle
New York City Subway rapid transit station complex
Station entrance north of Columbus Circle
Station statistics
Address	Intersection of West 59th Street, Eighth Avenue & Broadway New York, NY 10023
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Columbus Circle, Midtown Manhattan
Coordinates
Division	A (IRT), B (IND)
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line       IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line
Services	1  (all times)       2  (late nights)       A  (all times)       B  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)       C  (all except late nights)       D  (all times)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: M5, M7, M10, M12, M20, M104 MTA Bus: BxM2
Levels	2
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1948 (1948-07-01)
Accessible
Wireless service
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	23,566,961 (station complex)  3.5%
Rank	7 out of 421
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops weekdays only

59th Street – Columbus Circle is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line and the IND Eighth Avenue Line. It is the seventh busiest station complex in the system. It is located at Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan where 59th Street, Broadway and Eighth Avenue intersect, and is served by the:

• 1, A, and D trains at all times
• C train at all times except late nights
• B train during weekdays until 11:00 p.m.
• 2 train during late nights

Newly rehabilitated retail space

IND Eighth Avenue Line platforms

59th Street – Columbus Circle
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services	A  (all times)       B  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)       C  (all except late nights)       D  (all times)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	3 island platforms (2 in service) cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932 (1932-09-10)
Accessible
Station succession
Next north	72nd Street (local): A  B  C  125th Street (express): A  D
Next south	50th Street (8th local): A  C  42nd Street – Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th express): A  Seventh Avenue (6th): B  D
Next north	125th Street: A  B  C  D
Next south	50th Street (via 8th local): A  C  (southbound only) 42nd Street – Port Authority Bus Terminal (via 8th express): A  47th–50th Streets – Rockefeller Center (via 6th): B  D
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops weekdays only

Passageway between the two IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line platforms via the center IND platform.

The unused center platform during renovation

59th Street – Columbus Circle on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, opened on September 10, 1932, is a large express station. There are four tracks and three island platforms with the outer two in revenue service.

South of the station, trains can either continue on Eighth Avenue or diverge east to the Seventh Avenue station via the IND Sixth Avenue Line. North of the station are crossovers in both directions and the northbound tracks cross over the southbound tracks to form a two level configuration to 103rd Street.

The next express station to the north, 125th Street, is 3.35 miles (5.391 km) away with seven local stations in between. This is the longest distance between two express stops in the system.

The center platform was first used in passenger service in 1959, but was originally built along with the other platforms. It served the purpose of a Spanish solution, allowing passengers to exit both sides of subway cars as the express trains would open the doors on both sides. Newer subway cars' door controls made it more difficult to open doors on both sides of the train simultaneously, thus this solution became impractical and the platform was closed on November 8, 1973. In 2007–2010, it was converted to a crossunder between the IRT side platforms. Large metal fences have been erected to keep people away from the edges.

At the middle of each open platform, there are two staircases and one elevator that connect with the northbound platform of IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line. There are also one staircase from each platform at the north end leading to the same area. A single staircase at the extreme south end connect to the southbound IRT platform. There are two newsstands which are the center of both platforms.

This station formerly had a 1992 artwork called Hello Columbus, made by various New York City artists and public school students. Sol LeWitt created tile work on the stairway from the platforms to the uptown 1 train entitled "Whirls and Twirls". Currently, large white "59"s are placed over the blue stripes – similar to the "42"s at 42nd Street – Port Authority.

IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line platforms

59th Street – Columbus Circle
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Uptown platform
Station statistics
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line
Services	1  (all times)       2  (late nights)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	October 27, 1904 (1904-10-27)
Accessible
Station succession
Next north	66th Street – Lincoln Center: 1  2
Next south	50th Street: 1  2
Next north	66th Street – Lincoln Center: 1  2
Next south	Times Square – 42nd Street: 1  2
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops late nights only
59th Street – Columbus Circle (IRT)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	New York City Subway System MPS
NRHP Reference #	04001015
Added to NRHP	September 17, 2004

59th Street – Columbus Circle on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line, opened on October 27, 1904, has four tracks and two side platforms.

Despite being a major transfer point to the IND Eighth Avenue Line, the station was constructed as a local stop prior to the IND's construction in 1932. At one point, the New York City Transit Authority considered converting the station to an express stop by rerouting the local tracks to the outside of the platforms. This would have coincided with 72nd Street becoming a local stop by fencing off or walling up the express side of the island platforms there.

When the station opened, there was an underpass between the downtown and uptown platforms. In the 1970s, it was closed and the staircase entrances covered over. Today, passengers use the IND mezzanine and platforms to transfer between directions. Both platforms have two fare controls which are on the same level, one of which connects to the mezzanine leading to the IND platforms.

Image gallery

• 

  Name in mosaics

• 

  Original cartouche featuring Columbus's ship the Santa Maria

• 

  Detailed view of the ceiling

• 

  The uptown platform in 1978

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exits/Entrances
B1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard Vending Machines Shops, to Exits (Elevators on NE corner of Columbus Circle and Central Park W and on SW corner of 8th Avenue and Columbus Circle)
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound local	← toward Van Cortlandt Park – 242nd Street ( toward 241st Street late nights) (66th Street - Lincoln Center)
	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ toward South Ferry ( toward Brooklyn College late nights) (50th Street) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
B2	IND Mezzanine	Transfers between lines and platforms
B3	Northbound local	← toward Bedford Park Boulevard rush hours, 145th Street other times (72nd Street) ← toward 168th Street ( toward 207th Street late nights) (72nd Street)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left for local trains, right for express trains
	Northbound express	← toward 207th Street (125th Street) ← toward Norwood – 205th Street (125th Street)
	Island platform, not in service, used as passageway between IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platforms
	Southbound express	→ toward Lefferts Boulevard or Far Rockaway all except nights, Rockaway Park PM rush hours (42nd Street – Port Authority Bus Terminal) → → toward Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue (Seventh Avenue) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left for local trains, right for express trains
	Southbound local	→ toward Brighton Beach (Seventh Avenue) → → toward Euclid Avenue ( toward Far Rockaway late nights) (50th Street) →

Entrances and exits

This station complex has many entrances/exits from the streets. The one at the north end of Columbus Circle leads to the Trump International Hotel and Tower. It has a double wide staircase going down to an intermediate level before another double-wide staircase goes down to fare control, where a now unused token booth and turnstile bank lead to the IND mezzanine as well as the north end of the northbound IRT platform. There is also one elevator from the back of the staircase that goes down to fare control.

Two staircases from the northwest corner of Broadway and West 60th Street go down to an unstaffed fare control area, where three full height turnstiles and a short staircase provide direct access to the north end of the southbound IRT platform. Another staircase at the southern island of the aforementioned intersection go down to a bank of turnstiles leading to the center of the same platform.

The Time Warner Center at the northwest corner of West 58th Street and Broadway has a set of elevators, escalators, and staircases going down to fare control, where a token booth and turnstile bank provide entrance/exit to the station. A single staircase goes down to each IND platform at their extreme south end while a passageway leads to the southbound IRT platform. The mezzanine also has a staircase going up to the northeast corner of West 58th Street and Broadway. There is a passageway leading to another staircase that goes up to the southeast corner of West 59th Street and Eighth Avenue. This staircase is built within the Hearst Tower.

The south end of the northbound IRT platform has a same-level unstaffed fare control area containing full height turnstiles and two staircases going up to the south corners of West 59th Street and Broadway.

Nearby points of interest

• Church of St. Paul the Apostle
• Museum of Arts & Design
• New York Institute of Technology
• Professional Children's School
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• Fordham University

Further reading

• Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0

External links

• nycsubway.org—IRT West Side Line: 59th Street/Columbus Circle
• nycsubway.org—IND 8th Avenue: 59th Street/Columbus Circle
• nycsubway.org — Whirls and Twirls Artwork by Sol Lewitt (2007)
• nycsubway.org — Hello Columbus Artwork by the NYC Artists & Public School Students (1992)
• Station Reporter — Columbus Circle/59th Street Complex
• TheSubwayNut - 59th Street IND station
• TheSubwayNut - 59th Street IRT station
• Forgotten NY — Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
• MTA's Arts For Transit — 59th Street – Columbus Circle
• Abandoned Stations - 59 St platform
• Entrance to Trump International Hotel & Tower at 60th Street from Google Maps Street View
• Columbus Circle & Central Park South entrance to Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
• Eighth Avenue & 58th Street entrance to Eighth Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
• Time Warner Center entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Eighth Avenue & 57th Street entrance to Eighth Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
• Broadway & 60th Street entrance to Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
• Elevator entrance at Columbus Circle and Eighth Avenue from Google Maps Street View